Don't
by QuinaLee
Summary: One day things get out of hand after Mello sees the latest test scores. I don't want to say too much : Dark! Yaoi. MelloxNear. One-shot. Lalala.


**Yo.**

**So, this story has been in my mind for a while now. I was in the car, when, suddenly, I was ATTACKED by a little bunny named Plot. (ie: Plot Bunny, in case you didn't understand)**

**This story is MelloxNear. Yeah, it's pretty dark. I think I cried. No, scratch that, I KNOW I cried. Yeah. A lot. :wipes tears: **

**Okay, just read it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the smexiness that is L, Light, Mello, Near, Matt, and anyone else I missed. So, basically, I don't own my life, because that's what this obsession has become. Yeah, I'm going to stop rambling in the disclaimer now. Kay, thanks, bye.**

* * *

**Don't.**

Ninety-nine percent; it was always just that. Ninety-nine: one below one hundred, or, rather, one below _him_. His name alone sent raging flames through the blonde's body.

And, no, you stupid fangirl, not _those_ kind of flames. These were the flames that made you want to hijack a car, just so you could run over every sweet little bunny and kitty within a four hundred mile radius. Yeah, not fun.

He stared at the paper, convinced that if he glared hard enough it would somehow pull a Kira, and kill the stupid albino. Fingers crossed as he began the hunt for the body.

_What is his deal, anyways?_ Mello thought to himself, following the empty hallway out of the school wing, and towards the bedrooms. Everyone was either enjoying their Saturday outdoors, or in their rooms. _He's such a freak. What kind of teenager spends their weekend doing puzzles or playing with toys? Not to mention, he's the equivalent of a zombie!_

He strode past the Common Room before remembering that it was likely he would find him in there. With a sharp turn, he found himself face-to-face with the mahogany door. Gently, he pushed it open, just far enough to poke his head in.

Sure enough, a mound of white was found in the middle of the room, and, to the blonde's great delight, he was sprawled on his side. He internally cheered, sneaking further into the room to get a closer look at his accomplishment.

Mello flinched as his right foot hit a squeaky spot beneath the carpet, but, other than that, made it to the boy in a relatively calm fashion. Crouching beside him, he frowned when he heard a stifled sigh escape around Near's thumb from between his softly pouted lips.

_The damn kid is only asleep!_ he inwardly growled, fists balling in frustration. The nearly-completed, all-white puzzle went flying across the room with a flick of his wrist. Near jumped, startled awake by the crash.

"M-Mello?" Near yawned, rubbing his eye with a tiny fist.

"Well, good morning, my dearest Near," the blonde sneered.

The albino mentally shuddered at the chilling voice, although he couldn't bring himself to run away from his only rival.

"So, I saw the test scores," Mello continued, standing to circle his prey. "Congratulations on beating me…_again_."

Near pulled himself to a sitting position, drawing his left knee to his chest. He kept his focus trained on the floor, expecting the blonde to explode at any moment.

"Don't you have anything to say, little boy?" the older questioned, stopping in his line of vision. Just as Near expected, strong fingers latched onto his pale throat, pulling him upwards until his feet were dangling a few inches above the ground.

"Not so special now, are you?" His grip tightened, wanting more than anything to feel the pulse beneath it to stop. Receiving no reply, he repeated with more aggression, "Are you!?"

Near's hands wrapped around his attacker's fingers. "M-Mello, pl-ease. Please st-stop," he choked out, gasping for air.

"As you wish," the blonde snarled. He threw the boy in a heap on the floor. Mello didn't give him time to catch his breath before sending a kick to his abdomen.

Near threw up his dinner unceremoniously onto the carpet. His ears rang, sending pulses of searing pain throughout his skull, but he could still hear the mocking laughter the other boy produced.

"Everyone loves Near, oh, he's so sweet," the voice mimicked. "Well, who's going to save you, huh? Roger? Like he cares. This place would be better off without you."

The albino pushed himself up so he was sitting, pressing the heels of his hands to his eye sockets.

Mello growled, grabbing the boy's collar. He landed a punch on Near's left cheek. "Nobody has ever loved you!" – punch – "You're worthless, Near." – punch – "What's the point of living if you have no purpose in life?"

The battered boy was shoved to the floor, barely missing the foul smelling puddle, before the blonde stomped away. Something wet slid down his face, and he could taste iron in his mouth. He didn't know how long he laid there, fighting to hold onto consciousness and willing the pressure behind his eyes to disappear, before he heard the sweet sound of a girl's voice.

"Near? Oh, my God, Near! Are you alright?" Linda screeched as she ran to kneel beside him. Her pigtails bounced as she pulled his upper body close to her. "Oh, Near, how could you let him do this to you?"

_Worthless…_ It was true, wasn't it? He zoned in on that one word, tuning everything else out. When he thought of _worthless_, he saw dirt, darkness and platypuses – but even those had purposes. What was _his_?

"Roger!" the girl yelled when she finally realized he wouldn't answer her. She turned her attention back to the albino when she heard a soft groan. "Near, you'll be okay. He won't get away with this."

Near silently thanked Linda for her promise before slipping into darkness.

---

Mello felt uplifted after his encounter with Near. Letting off steam always did that. But something was a little different this time. Could he feel…guilty? Did he go _too_ far this time?

No, no, of course not.

But his reaction… It seemed as if he just _shut down_. He'd never done that before. Usually, his eyes would at least show _something_, but after the first punch, they were completely _blank_.

He sighed, mentally cursing himself for thinking such things.

"Hey, Melz," his roommate greeted when he opened the door. As usual, his goggles-clad green eyes were trained on the television, while his thumbs furiously flew across the buttons on a controller. "Where've you been?"

"Beatin' up the little freak," he smirked. The drawer beside his bed was yanked open, and a chocolate bar was pulled out.

Matt jabbed the start button, pausing his game to turn and stare at his best friend. "You have to be _joking_! What did he beat you at _this_ time?"

The blonde scoffed. "Did you not see the test scores, Matt?" He bit into the bar.

"_Grow up_, Mello!" the gamer yelled from the floor. "You can't just _beat him up_ every time he happens to get _one_ point higher than you on a lousy test!"

"I believe I can," Mello countered, glaring at his friend. "And I'm not going to stop until he learns."

"He could be _dead_ by then!" Matt yelled, but the other ignored him as he slammed the door shut and stormed down the hall.

---

Near had been in the infirmary for nearly four days now, and only one of them he had been conscious for. The first thing he saw once he opened his eyes was Linda. The albino was 86.3% sure she had stayed with him almost the entire time – the bags beneath her eyes and lack of make-up being the main evidence for that conclusion.

"Near, you're okay!" she wailed, sending her arms out and around the boy.

It took him a moment to remember what she was talking about, but when he did, he didn't like the results.

_Worthless…_

The word left an empty feeling inside of Near, and, although he didn't show it, that scared him.

He then noticed the girl watching him worriedly. "You _are_ okay, aren't you, Near?"

The albino opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out so he shrugged with a semi-creased brow. He mouthed, 'water,' to the girl, and she immediately went to grab some, muttering something about how careless she had been to not think of it sooner.

Near sighed when she was out of hearing range.

_Worthless…_

It was really starting to bother him now. He couldn't get it to leave his mind. Well, it didn't really help that he didn't have anything to occupy himself with. He made it his top priority to get out of that stupid room as soon as possible in order to maintain at least _some_ level of sanity.

Linda returned with a full glass of the clear liquid, with a plump nurse trailing closely behind.

The moment Near's small hands wrapped around the slick glass, he brought it to his dry lips and downed the chilly substance.

"Well, aren't _you_ a thirsty little one," the nurse praised in that sickeningly sweet voice that adults reserved for young children.

Near fought back the scowl that threatened to capture his features.

"We've been feeding you through a tube, so it's only natural that you're parched…"

The woman droned on about his condition and what went on while he was out as she flitted around him, checking machines and whatnot, but Near tuned her out.

Did Mello really think he was _worthless_?

Once again, he felt as if the word had shot a hole through his fragile heart, letting it slip further, further…

_No_. Near understood what was happening to him, and he wasn't going to allow it.

But how could Mello stoop so _low_?

He unconsciously brought his fingers up to twist around a lock of white hair, but his curled digits froze as he began to feel pain _all_ over his body. Whatever medication he was given seemed to be wearing off. Linda must have noticed his subtle wince, because she immediately alerted the nurse in panic.

"Do you want some more pain meds, son?"

Near inwardly growled at that last word, but nodded as his fingers began to spiral again. He kept his gaze fixed on the blanket covering his legs, and the nurse disappeared.

The air was still – awkwardly so – for a moment before Linda stammered, "Uh-um…N-Near? Would you, um, like to…you know, talk about…it?"

His fingers stopped again before he shook his head so slowly that he could hear the joints in his neck creak.

"Oh, well…that's okay, I g-guess. Just know that I-I'm here for you…if you do." She placed her hand over the one in his lap. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to move away from the touch due to the tube protruding from the crease of his elbow. But he didn't; he welcomed the comfort, and that worried him.

The nurse returned with a vial and syringe, and Linda pulled her hand away, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Now, this is going to make you a little loopy, so don't be caught off guard by that." She stretched up to inject the medication into the plastic pouch of liquid that was being fed to his body through the needle in his arm.

The pain slowly dissipated, and, like the woman said, he became a tad insane.

---

Near was disgusted. Absolutely and utterly so. The boy that stared back at him in the mirror was not who he remembered him to be. No, the Near he was used to was flawless, as pale as a brand new sheet of paper. But not this one. His black eyes were void of anything as they bore into the reflection. Dark bags hung below them, but they were hardly noticeable when there were deep yellow-purple bruises scattered throughout the rest of his face. _Worthless…_

The sight made him want to be sick or break something (Mello's neck?), but he forced his mask to stay put. Nobody needed to know how he felt.

Everyone offered their sympathy as he passed them in the crowded halls, but Near knew that, internally, they were all laughing at him.

And, little did they know, internally, Near was bawling his eyes out.

_Worthless…_

---

He didn't understand why Matt was suddenly so furious with him. Well, maybe _furious_ was the wrong word, but the brunette certainly wasn't happy with Mello. He couldn't believe that pansy was so worked up about that stupid kid. Hell, the whole _orphanage_ was! What did they see in that little freak?

He stopped his unconscious pacing when his roommate walked in without even a slight glance in his direction.

Not-so-mellow Mello stormed out of the room in search of his albino punching bag.

---

It took a little less than two weeks for the attention to die down. When things were finally back to semi-normalcy, Mello began to beat him up regularly again. It was never as bad, but Near wouldn't have cared. He didn't mind it anymore. In a way, he deserved the beatings.

_Worthless…_

Months passed; nothing changed. Yet Near was still breaking. Each meal, he ate less and less food, and each night, he got less and less sleep. Nobody noticed, though. Nobody but L, that is.

He had made a surprise visit. It took the detective no more than 0.19 minutes to figure out something was bothering his number one successor. When they talked, Near refused to say anything on the matter, seeing it as a form of weakness. He _could not_ admit his feelings to the only person who meant _anything_ to him.

When it came time for L to leave, he promised Near he'd be in contact with him, silently noting how similar the albino was to himself.

But, ever since then, he had heard nothing from the man. Near never meant anything to him, did he?

_Worthless…_

The boy sat on his bed, bony arms wrapped around thin legs, sobbing. The wall had finally broke down, and the waterfall wasn't stopping anytime soon.

_Worthless…_

His hands shook horribly as he gripped the pen, but somehow his script still seemed to be as elegant as usual across the paper.

_Worthless. Worthless. Worthless…_

---

"How could you be so _fucking_ careless, Mello!?" a furious – and this time it was legit – Matt screamed at the blonde.

He was lounging nonchalantly on his bed, munching on a chocolate bar. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

The brunette stomped up to him. "You know _damn well_ what I'm talking about!"

"I honestly…" He glanced up from the sweet, finally noticing, not only his friend's lack of goggles, but also his tear-streaked face. "…don't. Matt, what's going on?"

He scoffed at him. "You _disgust_ me."

Something was thrown at the blonde before Matt stormed out of the room.

Normally, Mello would have been seething by then, but something was seriously wrong for his roommate to be acting that way. He looked down in his lap to find a neatly folded piece of paper with his name written on it. For a moment, he could only stare at it, trying to figure out where he had seen that writing before…

He picked it up gently, afraid that it might spontaneously combust if he handled it too roughly.

_Mello,_

_I know you've been wishing for this for a while now, so I sincerely hope you are happy now. After all the suffering I've been through, I hope at least one person gained from it._

_You were right, Mello, you really were. I am worthless. Well, actually, now that you're reading this, was. I was worthless. Is Mello going to miss having me around to use to vent his anger?_

_I doubt it, but at least I can hope._

_I finally know the answer to your question. There is no point in living, if you have not purpose, and that is why you're reading this. I've finally broke. That's all Mello wanted, wasn't it? For one single spark of emotion? Well, I'm sorry you couldn't witness it._

_Good luck with being L. I know you'll be a great replacement. Goodbye, Mello._

_-N_

The words blurred as his heart sank. Somewhere, deep within him, he ached, and that bothered him.

Near was…_dead_?

No, no, it couldn't _possibly_ be true. This was _Near_ for Christ's sake. He would never do such a thing. This was all probably some elaborate joke to get back at him. Well, he wasn't going to fall for it.

Mello jumped off the bed, crumpling up the note and tossing it towards the trash can on his way out the door.

The hallway was surprisingly empty for a Saturday afternoon. Most of the bedrooms were closed, and Mello could hear strange noises coming from them. He only laughed and rolled his eyes at their pathetic attempts to fool him into feeling guilty.

First, he checked the Common Room, knowing that was exactly where the boy would be. But it was deserted. He wouldn't admit it, but something in his chest twitched painfully. Next, he glanced outside, but no one was out there. Um…odd?

Finally, he started making his way back to the rooms. Where else could he be? He threw open Near's door, immediately wishing he hadn't. The sight made his heart stop and his eyes prick with unwanted moisture. That couldn't be a joke. The soft white carpet was now stained with two large puddles of maroon.

And as much as he would have liked to deny it, he screamed.

His throat ran raw before someone finally reached him. It took two staff members to pull the kicking teenager away from the room, yelling profanities all the way. They brought him to Roger's office where he simply fell into a chair and _sobbed_.

He couldn't explain why he felt the way he did; almost…empty. Like half of him was missing.

Roger came to sit beside the boy.

"I…I didn't know…I didn't mean for this to happen!" he cried when the man's hand touched his shoulder.

"Mello." The shaking boy didn't pull his head from his hands. "Mello, listen to me."

"No! It's all my fault! I killed him!" the blonde screamed.

"Mello, listen to me," Roger repeated calmly. The teen tried pushing him away, but he grabbed his shoulders. "Listen to me, Near is _alive_."

Mello froze. He's alive? "W-Where is he?"

Roger sighed, sitting back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. "He was rushed to the hospital this morning after being found in his room."

The unusual feeling in his chest lightened a little. "Who, uh…found him?"

The man looked genuinely shocked. "You mean, he didn't tell you?"

Mello's eyebrows pulled together in question. "What are you talking about?"

"It was Matt."

His jaw unhooked itself from its hinges. _What_? Why would _Matt_ go see _Near_? Unless… Is that why he had been acting so strange lately? For a moment he had the feeling that he was dreaming, and some part of him wished it was true. But he wasn't.

"Can…can we, uh, you know…visit him?" He bit down on his trembling lip.

"If you would like. We are putting school on hold for a while so everyone can take a little breather. I'm sure he would appreciate a visit."

Mello exhaled. "Thank you."

When he returned to his room, Matt was sitting on the floor beside his bed with his knees pulled to his chest. It looked as if he hadn't stopped crying since… Well, Mello wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case.

He sat across from him on his own bed, dropping his head to stare at the floor.

They sat for what felt like hours in complete silence.

"I'm sorry, Matt," the blonde finally whispered. "I didn't know."

"The hell you didn't! You were _abusing_ him, Mello! Physically _and_ mentally," he snapped.

The silence returned. They heard footsteps in a distant hallway, a quiet conversation in a neighboring room.

"How bad…?" He wasn't positive that he wanted to hear.

Matt slid his feet forward until his legs were straight and hit the floor on either side of them with clenched fists. "He slit his fucking _wrists_, Mello. How bad do you _think_ it was?"

More silence. More tears.

"You know, he admires you, Mello," he said softly.

The blonde jerked his head up to look at his friend. _What?_

"I don't have a clue why, but he said so himself." He paused and then let out a weak laugh. "Well, in his sleep. I never would have expected him to be a sleep-talker."

"How long have you, uh, been talking to him?"

Matt shook his head. "Well, _someone_ had to apologize for you."

"Oh." How could he have let this go on for so long?

---

Roger was taking Linda, Matt and Mello to the hospital. _Everyone_ wanted to go, but he thought it was best if only the three closest to him would visit.

The car ride was awkwardly silent. After the conversation three days before, Matt and Mello hardly even _glanced_ at each other. It was driving both of them crazy.

Roger led the way to the boy's room, giving the trio pointed looks as if to say: _You better behave._

They stepped into the sterile room as if the ground would crumble beneath their feet. With heavy hearts, their eyes fell upon the boy. Linda immediately went into hysterics, rushing to his side while the rest of them stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. In any other situation, Mello would have found it comical how well the albino blended in with the all-white room.

Near was unconscious. His features were soft with sleep, yet they held some sort of underlying tension each time he exhaled. Tubes were protruding his skin, delivering, what Mello assumed, food, medication, and…blood. What lied beneath the gauze made him curious, yet it sickened him knowing that he had put them there. His stomach turned.

"I-It's all my fault," the blonde murmured before bolting from the room. He ran down the hallway, and into a closing elevator, the doors jerking open when they sensed him. Luckily, it was empty.

Mello pressed his back against one of the walls, sliding down it as his knees folded and his hands found his face. The doors clicked closed just as a violent sob escaped from his throat. He thought the tears were done with, but, at the sight of the vulnerable boy, it was all coming back. The elevator descended, but he didn't notice, not even when a woman stepped in.

She crouched beside the trembling teen. Her skin was pale, contrasting the perfect strawberry blonde color of her wavy hair and she watched Mello with wide blue eyes that almost made him smile. _Almost_. "Hey, sweetie, are you okay?"

Mello shook his head.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Her soothing voice was soft with sympathy.

He let out a shuddering breath and swiped the back of his hand across his cheeks, once again shaking his head.

"Come on, honey, let me help you."

His eyes slid closed, and he inhaled deeply. "I drove a boy in my school to try and kill himself."

To Mello's surprise, the woman stayed calm with that same expression of sympathy on her angelic features. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because I beat him up, okay!?" he shouted, hitting his fists on the floor. His chest heaved.

She placed her hand on his knee in comfort. "That doesn't mean it's your fault."

"But it is! He said so in his suicide note addressed to _me_."

"He was only looking for something to blame. He was confused about his feelings, and he needed to assure himself that somebody would miss him."

"But I called him worthless." His voice cracked on the last word.

"You obviously regret it, though. _Tell_ him that. Don't just sit here wallowing, _apologize_! Tell him _just_ how much he means to you."

Mello stopped breathing. How much he meant to him? Something fluttered in his chest. He had never really thought about it. What _did_ Near mean to him? Surely he wasn't considered a _rival_ anymore. So, what was he?

"Th-Thank you, um…?"

"Sadine." She smiled warmly at him. "And you?"

"Mello."

"It's nice to meet you, Mello. Now, go!"

The elevator doors opened then to reveal a panting brunette. "There you are, Mell. Roger sent me to find you." He held out a hand to the sitting boy, and he took it to be pulled up.

"I have faith in you, Mello," Sadine told him as they left the elevator.

"Thank you," he murmured, turning back to see her again.

"For what?" Matt asked him in confusion.

But she was gone.

Back in the room, it was still eerily silent. Roger had moved to sit by the window, while Linda still sobbed in a chair that had been pulled beside Near.

Mello cleared his throat. "Uh, could I, um, speak to Near…alone?"

Roger seemed surprised, but nodded as he stood, walking over to coax Linda out. Matt glared in shock at the man's quick approval. He obviously didn't trust Mello to be alone with the boy.

"Come, Matt," was Roger's only response and he left no room for argument. Matt reluctantly followed.

For awhile, after the door shut, Mello could only stand there. He watched as each of Near's exhales blew a single strand of white into the air before it fell back to rest on his cute little nose. Wait, what? _Cute_?

He finally allowed himself to approach the albino, sinking into the chair that Linda had recently abandoned. Without thinking, he laced his fingers with Near's, allowing his shaking free hand to gently glide across the bandage on his wrist. He watched his fingers intently, but with regret and guilt heavy in his chest. Suddenly, Near's face crumpled in pain.

"I'm sorry," Mello whispered, immediately dropping his hand to his lap. The boy's face softened and his muscles twitched in the blonde's grasp.

The room went silent again, save for the usual sounds of a hospital before he repeated, "I'm sorry." He bit down on his lip. "For everything. I didn't know it had gotten this bad." A tear slipped. "I _wish_ I could take it back. You were wrong, Near, _I_ was wrong. You are _not_ worthless. Wammy's would fall apart without you."

He stopped for a moment, chewing on the loose skin of his lower lip while staring at the itchy-looking hospital blanket.

"Near, before all of this happened, I never realized how much you actually mean to me." His voice cracked with emotion. "I…I never realized how…_horrible_ life would be without you." Another tear fell, and he pressed his trembling lips to white knuckles.

He knew the words were the truth. What else could explain his reaction to the news? What else could explain the way Near's fingers felt so perfectly natural between his? What else could explain the want apologize over and over again, and to kiss away all of Near's pain? _Nothing_. Nothing else could explain, because the truth was…

"I think I'm in love with you, Near."

As soon as the words were out, Mello began to panic, because, unexpectedly, the beeping of the heart monitor seemed to go double speed.

He jerked his head to the door, preparing himself to call for a nurse, when he heard a weak, "Don't."

Mello gasped, bringing his attention back to the boy he had just confessed everything to.

Gradually, the annoying beeping slowed, and Near let out a long breath before turning a small smile to the blonde. They were silent for a while, both thinking of what to say.

"Surprisingly, I forgive Mello." His voice was hoarse and soft, but Mello heard it clear as day.

And he was speechless. He had heard?

Near seemed to have read his mind, because he continued, "When one is considered unconscious, that does not mean they aren't aware of what is going on around them." He gave a pointed look to their still-clasped palms. Mello blushed, attempting to withdraw his hand, but Near's grip tightened as he murmured another, "Don't."

"You see, Mello, I never would have admitted it before, but the reason I acted so irrationally was because I, too, care for you." He let that sink in before going on. "At the time, I had only passed it off as admirance, but, now, hearing those words, I realize it's a lot deeper than that."

By now, Mello's eyes were wide in utter shock. But Near continued his drug-hazed ramble.

"And I guess…what I'm trying to say is…Mihael Keehl, I think I'm in love with you, too."

On pure impulse, Mello's body leaned forward. It kept moving, moving, moving on its own accord, until his mouth reached its destination: Near's lips.

Mello brought his free hand up to a pale cheek as Near sighed into the kiss. The albino's fingers latched onto leather, pulling it closer to his chest cautiously, as to not bother his wounds.

They were so caught up in each other, that they didn't notice an oblivious brunette enter until he said, "Mell, what's taking so—" And released a sharp gasp.

The boys pulled apart, flushing in embarrassment when they made eye contact with the gaping teen. At first, all he could do was stare.

"It's…nice to see you're awake, N-Near," Matt finally said, and anyone could tell he was trying his hardest not to stutter.

Near nodded at the gamer, pulling back his mask of indifference.

"So, uh…I'll just…go…um, yeah," he stammered, slowly retreating backwards.

"No!" Mello shouted, then more calmly, "I mean, no, you don't have to." Near glanced at the blonde. "I've said all I needed to say." He squeezed pale fingers, and smiled at the albino.

"Okay…well, I'll just go tell Roger and Linda that you're done." It seemed as if Matt couldn't get out fast enough.

They were still for a beat, allowing the silence to take over. "I'm sorry," the older suddenly whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "I'm sorry." Another kiss to his bandaged wrist. "I'm sorry, Nate."

"I know, Mihael, I know," Near replied quietly, reaching with his free hand to brush back the honey hair that had fallen into his face.

This time, they were aware when the door opened, and immediately fixed their positions.

Roger strolled in first, nodding at the pair, but noticing their intertwined fingers. Linda followed, immediately appearing beside the bed to take Near's empty hand. Matt didn't return.

"Near you're awake!" Linda screeched.

The four of them lapsed into casual conversation, the brunette eventually joining after a while. It was suddenly quiet, a veil of awkwardness draping itself over them.

"Well," Roger finally said, "I guess we better be leaving."

"B-But—!" Mello sputtered.

"It's getting late, and Near needs his rest."

The blonde sighed, beginning to stand when he felt his fingers being squished and heard a soft, "Don't."

He gazed down at the albino who was looking up at the man. "If you wouldn't mind, Roger, I would like Mih-Mello to stay with me."

Mello was speechless, his mouth hanging open. Roger glanced between the pair.

Then, after an immeasurably long moment, he nodded. "Say goodbye, Linda and Matt."

They offered their farewells, one more enthusiastic than the others. Matt didn't look all too happy about the agreement. And, before they knew it, they were alone.

Mello dropped his head to Near's lap as snowy fingers stroked blonde locks. A heavy heart slowly sunk in the older boy's chest as he cried into the blanket. He attempted to cease the shaking in his shoulders and the sniffling in his nose, but that seemed to only make them worse.

When Near began to feel the salty liquid on his thigh, he gently tugged on the shoulder of Mello's tight leather vest. "Mihael," he whispered.

He slowly brought his head up, reluctant to show his blood-shot eyes. Onyx met sapphire, and a soft smile appeared. "Come here."

The albino pulled back the blanket a bit to allow the other boy to slide beside him. When they were settled, Near brought his lips to a falling tear, erasing it from the flushed cheek. He repeated the gesture with the other side before placing a timid, yet reassuring peck on Mello's surprised lips. It would take a while for either of them to get used to that.

The blonde encased the smaller boy, bringing him to his chest. "I'm sorry." Near fisted his clothing in desperation, silently pleading Mello not to leave him. The kiss that was dropped into snowy hair was the returned promise.

They held each other silently, lovingly, as they drifted further and further into unconsciousness.

When they were finally asleep, a nurse entered. As she watched the slumbering couple, arms around each other and fingers intertwined, she decided she didn't have the heart to wake them to announce the end of visiting hours, and, instead, snapped off the light and closed the door quietly behind her.

---

It had been a month since the incident, and the occupants of the orphanage were finally over the shock of Near and Mello's sudden relationship. Well, considering that, before, they wouldn't have been caught dead _looking_ at each other in the hallways, and, now, compare that with holding hands…

Matt was getting better with the idea of the new couple, but his roommate could tell he still didn't trust him around Near all that much. Apparently, the reason he was so wary in the first place was because of a little crush on a certain albino. Mello was shocked when he found out, even though Near claimed to have been aware all along.

The day was as normal as any other. Near sat on his bedroom floor, building towers of dice with one knee against his chest. Mello sat behind him, the boy between his outstretched legs, with one arm curled possessively around the white-clad stomach, and the other delivering a chocolate bar to his mouth. The only evidence of their previous rivalry, were the deep purple-red lines across paper-colored wrists.

It was silent, as usual, save for the chewing and the occasional clatter of dice. But that was the way they liked it – simply being with each other just to be with each other. So, Mello was surprised when the boy in front of him spoke.

"Promise me something, Mihael," the soft voice said. Pale fingers wrapped around a lock of white hair, but he didn't turn to face the blonde.

"What?" Mello questioned, leaning closer so his breath ghosted over the sensitive skin of the boy's neck.

He shivered. "Promise me that no matter what happens with L, things will stay this way." His obsidian orbs gazed up through his eyelashes as he turned slightly to get a look at his boyfriend.

The breath caught in said boyfriend's throat. Near was just too beautiful to be natural. Instead of simply allowing the boy the upper-hand, he chose instead to press a kiss to the hollow beneath his ear – a place he knew would make the albino melt. Mello's voice seemed to deepen as he breathed directly into his ear, "I promise, Nate."

Near leaned back into his chest, afraid he might fall over sideways from the pleasure. He whimpered lightly when a tongue slid down the edge of his ear, to the tip of his lobe. "Thank you," he murmured before his mouth was taken prisoner by Mello's.

* * *

**Don't you just want to puke? Too much fluff, I think. But I love it!! (fluff, that is)**

**Tell me your thoughts, darling. Simply press that one button thinger that sends you to the review sender thingy and....you know the rest.**

**I'm kinda thinking about writing a little side story about Near on meds. I think that would be flipping HILARIOUS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHH~!**

**Oh, and anyone who can guess where I stole Sadine from, I'll give you a cookie :)**

**Yeah, so review please :D**

**:throws truffles:**

**-Quina Lee Clara-**


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